CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Uncle Gard sat in his home office going over his brief for court the next day. Samantha knocked on the door.

"Uncle Gard," she said. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Why of course Sam," Uncle Gard replied. "Having more man trouble?"

Uncle Gard loved to tease Samantha about her many dramatic trials with gentlemen friends.

"Oh no," answered Samantha. "I was just wondering if you found a new intern to work for you. Weren't you interviewing?"

"You mean did I give Eddie Ryland an internship?" Gard corrected. "He did interview."

Samantha blushed.

"Couldn't you please give him an internship," she pleaded.

"Whatever for?" Gard asked surprised. "You despise Eddie Ryland, why would you want him around me all day?"

"Not for me," said Samantha. "Nellie."

"Sam as much as I think that yes Nellie does need to get out and have a little more fun, I am not going to turn my reputable law firm into a dating service," Gard replied. "Besides if he interns for me Eddie is going to be too busy to be off gallivanting with Nellie. I am going to load him with work, he can bring me my coffee in the mornings, and my newspaper."

"It was just a thought," said Samantha innocently. "I just thought if Eddie was interning, Nellie could do some of your filing and maybe they would reconnect."

"Reconnect?" Gard asked. "I thought that Eddie had connected with a Miss Helene Fitzgerald from New Orleans, not Miss Nellie O'Malley from New York City."

Samantha felt terrible for Nellie. Samantha had been seeing Eugene regularly for about a month now, and she couldn't believe how much better he was for her than Peyton ever was. Eugene let her ramble about politics all she desired and sometimes he would debate with her if he didn't agree. Samantha loved debating so the debates never bothered her. He always remembered to bring her some little trinket or gift whenever he called, not once had he forgotten to tell her how beautiful she looked, while out with her he treated her with the up most respect and reverence. Eugene made Samantha feel like the finest and most beautiful woman in the world and she loved feeling that way. She was back to her old self going to parties, but always with Eugene at her side.

He encouraged all of her wild ideas whether it was trying to plan a party or a rally for women's suffrage, Eugene was always around helping her and Aunt Cornelia.

However Nellie wasn't seeing callers or going to parties. She threw herself into her studies. Samantha convinced her to write a letter to Ladies Life Journal explaining that Helene Fitzgerald was just a pen name, and sending a proof of who Nellie O'Malley was and her studentship. Nellie wasn't sure if it would work. Writers did have pen names, and in her letter she even explained that she didn't submit the work herself, or else she would have been sure to submit it under her real name. She supposed that Helene Fitzgerald was a rather fine pen name. She just hoped the magazine understood. What if they thought she was lying, and that she wasn't really Helene Fitzgerald? Another strike against her was she was now sending a letter from a different address, not Eddie's house, they could easily think she was lying. She sent off the letter and tried not to think or worry about it anymore. Originally she wasn't going to write the magazine back, not after lying, but Samantha convinced her that she might be able to get away with telling them that she used a pen name, and if you don't ask, you don't get. Nellie hadn't let on to anyone just how much she really wanted the prize money, the story published, the photo. What an achievement! What a great thing to but in a resume, and what a great way to get into freelance writing.

As she slid the letter in the mailbox, she tried to forget about the story, Helene Fitzgerald, and Eddie Ryland. This included spending most of her time reading and studying.

"She sits up in her room and reads constantly," Samantha whined to Eugene one afternoon. "She's going to go blind reading so much."

"No blinder than we will go with all the piano playing that we have been doing," Eugene replied.

Eugene's piano teacher had gotten them a book of some tricky piano transcriptions for one piano and four hands. They practiced everyday on them. Samantha never knew that practicing piano could be so much fun, though it helped to have a handsome man sitting next to her, once in a while their hands would brush against each other.

"She's young, she's beautiful, she's smart, she's sweet. She should be embracing all that!" Samantha ranted as if she were giving a speech at one of Cornelia's suffrage meetings. "One day she's going to realize that she is an old spinster, living all alone with just a deaf dog or a cat or something like that. She will realize that her youth is gone from her, and so is her chance at love."

"She's only seventeen," said Eugene. "Maybe she will meet a handsome lad when she goes off to university."

"She's applying to all female colleges," Samantha replied. "She thinks she will be treated better there, instead of getting secondary treatment because the boys get the best. She was in love Eugene. She was so smitten with Eddie, and I had to go mess everything up. You live with Eddie. Does he ever mention Nellie?"

"Not in a while he hasn't," said Eugene. "I don't bring it up because I know it's a touchy subject. He told me that you are a manipulative cuss."

"I guess I am," Samantha admitted. "But Nellie isn't. Do you think he would be up to give her another chance?"

"I really don't want to go meddling in Eddie's affairs," Eugene replied. "Men don't do that kind of thing. I do know that he hasn't seen any other girls since I've moved out here."

"That's great," said Samantha. "That means he is pinning away for Nellie."

"Or that he is scarred for life," Eugene added.

"It's so terribly tragic yet so romantic," Samantha said dreamily.

Samantha's drama was one of the things that Eugene loved about her.

"Two lovers, yearning for each other, thrown apart due to some silly misunderstanding," she went on.

"Misunderstanding?" Asked Eugene. "Sam you had Eddie completely believing that Nellie was Helene Feddermeyer."

"Fitzgerald," corrected Samantha. "Don't be confusing Eddie even more. Look I have a plain."

"Oh no," Eugene sighed. He could see the wild, vivacious, look in her eyes, like a wolf out on the hunt. She was planning, wheels were turning in her head, Lord only knew what was going on inside of her pretty little head!

"You aren't going to try and set her up with some other boy to make Eddie jealous," said Eugene. "Eddie isn't a jealous type."

"Heavens no!" Said Samantha. "I would never have even comprehended something of that sort. You have a sick mind. I do have a plan though, and I am going to need your help."

"Why would I help you with your little no good plans?" Eugene retorted playfully. Samantha teased back.

"Because I'm irresistible, and sweet," she said.

"And stupid," Eugene said shaking his head.